Do you have to pay tax on Vinted?
If you're just clearing out your own old clothes and bits, you almost certainly owe nothing. It makes no difference whether you sell five things or five hundred. Tax only comes into it if you're buying or making things to sell on for a profit. Here's how to tell which one you are.
Are you clearing out, or running a little business?
HMRC doesn't tax you for selling your own belongings. Clearing the wardrobe, the kids' outgrown clothes, the stuff that's been in the loft for years: that's just selling your own things, and that isn't income, however much it comes to. GOV.UK says it in plain terms. You're fine "no matter how many items you sell."
You only move into taxable territory if you're trading. That means buying or making things mainly to sell them on at a profit: reselling, flipping, buying job lots, making things to order. HMRC looks at whether you're in it for profit, how often and how methodically you sell, and whether you bought the items to use or to resell. Selling jeans you wore for a couple of years isn't trading. Buying a bundle of trainers to flip is.
So why is everyone so worried? The 30-items rule
Since January 2024, sites like Vinted have had to send HMRC a yearly report on their bigger sellers. You're in that report if, over a calendar year, you make 30 or more sales, or take around £1,700 (about €2,000) or more.
What most people miss is that being on the report doesn't mean you owe tax. It's just data moving from Vinted to HMRC.
Why Vinted asked for your National Insurance number
If you hit that 30-sales or £1,700 mark, Vinted asks you to fill in a few details, including your National Insurance number, so it can finish its report. It's unnerving, but it really is just admin. Your NI number is the reference HMRC uses to tie the report to the right person. It doesn't mean Vinted or HMRC thinks you owe anything.
When you do need to do something
If you are trading, there's still a decent buffer before any tax is due: the £1,000 trading allowance. If your trading sales for the year come to less than £1,000, there's nothing to report and nothing to pay. Once you're over £1,000, you'll usually need to do two things:
- register for Self Assessment, by 5 October after the tax year you started, and
- file your return and pay any tax by the 31 January after that.
You're taxed on your profit, not your sales. That's what you sold, minus what the stock cost you (or minus the £1,000 allowance, if that comes to more), at your normal tax rate. The checker does the rough sum for you.
The one rare exception: a single item over £6,000
One thing sits outside all of this. If you sell a single personal item, or a matching set, for more than £6,000 (say a designer handbag or a good watch), that can bring in Capital Gains Tax. Everyday clothes and clear-outs are nowhere near it.
What about the "£3,000 change" you keep hearing about?
You might have seen headlines about a £3,000 threshold. It's real, but it gets reported wrong constantly. The plan is to lift the point where you have to fill in a full Self Assessment return, from £1,000 to £3,000 of gross trading income, and to add a simpler online way to pay any tax instead. Two things are worth knowing. It has no start date yet, so it doesn't apply today. And it only changes how you report, not how much tax you owe. It does not make £3,000 of profit tax-free.
Still not sure which one you are?
Soldly asks a few plain questions and gives you a straight answer. Are you trading, do you need to register, and roughly what (if anything) you'd owe. Two minutes, no sign-up, nothing saved.
Check where I stand →Common questions
Do I pay tax on selling my own clothes on Vinted?
No. Selling your own used things isn't taxable income, no matter how many you sell. The only catch is a single item or matching set that sells for more than £6,000, which can bring in Capital Gains Tax. Tax only applies if you're trading, meaning buying or making things to sell on for profit.
How much can I earn on Vinted before paying tax?
If you're selling your own things there's no limit, because it isn't taxed at all. If you're buying or making to sell, the first £1,000 of sales each year is covered by the trading allowance. Above that you may need to register for Self Assessment and pay tax on your profit.
Does Vinted report my sales to HMRC?
Yes. If you make 30 or more sales in a calendar year, or take around £1,700 (about €2,000) or more, Vinted reports you to HMRC under the platform-reporting rules that began in January 2024. Being reported doesn't mean you owe tax.
Why does Vinted want my National Insurance number?
It's the reference HMRC uses to match Vinted's report to the right person. It's admin, not a sign you owe tax.
I've heard HMRC is cracking down. Should I worry?
Platforms now share seller data with HMRC, and HMRC is building systems to use it. But none of that makes you liable for tax if you're selling your own possessions. If you're trading above £1,000, it's worth getting registered and keeping things tidy. The checker tells you which side of the line you're on.